Jason Darklyn
Lord Jason Darklyn of Duskendale fought in the Blackfyre Rebellion in 196. Though only 15 at the time and still a squire, Jason fought admirably and earned the attention of many. House Darklyn, in the early days of the war, declared for their traditional ally, House Targaryen. However, after the Battle of Redgrass Field, Jason’s father, Leo Darklyn, bent the knee to Daemon Blackfyre and pledged to serve him. The war continued, with the Darklyns now fighting on the Blackfyres side, until Lord Leo and Jason’s three older brothers; Denys, Godric, and Addam, all perished fighting in Dorne. At the end of the war, young Jason was knighted by the victorious Daemon Blackfyre himself, solidifying the Darklyn loyalty to House Blackfyre. Lord Jason’s devotion to House Blackfyre had one interesting side effect: He began naming all of his children traditionally Valyrian names, and named his firstborn after the Blackfyre king. In 219 AC, Jason was called to King’s Landing to serve as the Master of Laws for King Daemon II Blackfyre at the Red Keep. He brought along his sons, Daemon and Aegon, in hopes that they would learn along with the princes. While Daemon avoided his father's martial instruction, Aegon devoured it gladly. As a fighter and a knight, Aegon Darklyn was without equal. In 224 AC, Targaryen armies invaded Westeros looking to re-establish the Targaryen dynasty. Several Crownlander lords rose in support of the Targaryens and gathered an army led by House Sunglass of Sweetport Sound. Knowing of the close ties between House Darklyn and House Blackfyre, Lord Sunglass invaded Duskendale with his forces. Lord Jason, who was normally in King's Landing, happened to be spending time with his family in their ancestral home at the time of the invasion, and he was taken completely by surprise. Jason's eldest son, Daemon, was taken as a hostage for Jason's loyalty and the Lord of Duskendale was forced to sit on the Targaryen war council and advise his captors. When Lord Sunglass marched south to the capitol to join with Maekar Targaryen, Jason and Daemon accompanied him. The two would spend the remainder of the war confined to the Red Keep, until the day it was liberated by King Aerys. Upon meeting the king, whom Lord Jason had earlier known as a prince, Jason dropped to one knee and knelt in front of him. He begged the king's mercy, and explained that he was very much a prisoner forced to serve the Targaryens. King Aerys relented, absolving Lord Jason of any crimes and renaming him to the Small Council. Following the death of King Aerys I Blackfyre in 225 AC, the Hand of the King called a Great Council to help determine the matter of succession. Aerys' only son, Aenar, was only three years old, and most lords sought to avoid a long regency. Therefore, the Great Council agreed to hear the claims of Princess Daena Blackfyre, the late king's younger sister, and Aegor Bittersteel, Lord Paramount of the Trident. Surprisingly, Aerys Targaryen also shows up at the Council, having been deceived by Bittersteel to come make his claim. The Lord of the Trident betrayed and murdered the Targaryen. This move by Bittersteel left a bad taste in the mouths of many lords at the Council, and support for his claim dropped. Following an assassination attempt on Bittersteel, the Council devolved into chaos. In that chaos, Lord Jason Darklyn managed to retrieve the sword Blackfyre from the late kings chambers, after which the Lord of Duskendale and his two sons fled the capitol to return to their own lands. Upon returning to the Dun Fort, Lord Jason went straight to the vaults beneath the city and sealed the sword away. The young Daemon asked his father why he didn't use the sword. "That sword is the sword of the King, and a powerful symbol to the people of Westeros. One should not wield Blackfyre, Daemon, unless one is ready to sit the Iron Throne. We are not kings, only servants. It will stay here until one of the claimants proves themselves worthy of sitting the throne. And I'll be damned if Aegor Bittersteel wins the throne. There are some of us who still remember when he was Aegor Rivers." Soon after, Lord Jason rallied his men, along with many volunteers, who began calling themselves ''Darklyn's Demons,''and rode off to war, leaving the 14-year-old Daemon as acting Lord of Duskendale. Several months later, in 226 AC, Lord Jason returned to his home and family, bloodied and tired, but with a renewed resolve. When the war began, Lord Jason sought to fight only to prevent the coronation of Bittersteel. However, during the course of his battles with Darklyn's Demons, he grew close to Ser Duncan the Tall, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, whom supported the claim of Princess Daena. By the time of Ser Duncan's death at the hands of Bittersteel, Lord Jason had become a full supporter of the Princess as well. With the Demons temporarily defeated, Bittersteel captures King's Landing and then moves on Duskendale itself. However, following an exhaustive search of the city and castle, Lord Jason and Daemon were nowhere to be found. It would be Aegon Targaryen, Jason's second son, who would tell Bittersteel that his father and brother had reformed the Demons and were off fighting. Bittersteel names Aegon the Lord of Duskendale and takes him as a hostage and squire. This, however, turned out to be a ploy, orchestrated by Daemon himself, who brought his ideas to his father. While Bittersteel moved on the capitol, Jason and Daemon had sailed for Dragonstone, and after some negotiations, got the soldiers and navies of Dragonstone and Driftmark to declare for Princess Daena. Returning to the mainland, Jason and Daemon learned of what had occurred at Duskendale, and Lord Jason quickly rallied men to return to the war. Daemon sent a message to his contacts back in the capitol and managed to arrange for the freeing of his brother Aegon from under Bittersteels control. Meanwhile the Princess Daena had been traveling through the Riverlands trying to reach Duskendale, but was finally cornered in an inn by the God's Eye by Bittersteel's troops. All through the night, things looked lost for the Princess, but at daybreak, the Demons, under Lord Jason, arrived and routed the Bittersteel men. Lord Jason took Princess Daena back to Duskendale to recover from her wounds. Once in Duskendale, the Princess learned of all the work that Lord Jason had done to rally Dragonstone and the Velaryons to her cause, and within a fortnight, their forces joined. The landing of the Dragonstone and Velaryon troops also brought about an rush of minor Crownlander lords raising their banners for Daena, and soon the Crowlanders had a sizeable army. Having had a chance to speak with Daena, Lord Jason was assured that she was worthy to sit the throne, and he revealed his possession of the sword Blackfyre, giving it to the princess and adding to the legitimacy of Daena's claim. The Crownlander forces and the armies from the Stormlands finally met Bittersteel on The Field of Tears, where midway through the battle, House Frey unexpectedly turned on Bittersteel, shattering his army and routing him. Bittersteel fled to Harrenhal with the few men that escaped the slaughter, where he was quickly surrounded by Daena's supporters. Bittersteel's body was found at the base of the tallest tower of Harrenhal, though whether he was pushed or jumped will never be known. Daena was crowned Queen, and in gratitude for Jason's service, confirmed him to his old position of Master of Laws on the Small Council, which he would hold until his death. In 236 AC, the newly knighted Aegon Darklyn was accidentally killed in a tourney joust. Lord Jason, distraught over the loss of his favorite son, slipped into a deep depression and died later that year. Category:House Darklyn Category:Crownlander